What happened in Gib, Gibbs?
by akaeve
Summary: Walk down memory lane.


**What happened in Gib, Gibbs?**

They were standing in Autopsy looking at the body. The deceased. The victim.

"I was always going to ask you Dr Mallard." Jimmy enquired, as he handed Ducky the brain.

"And what would that be Mr Palmer?" Duks replied, looking at the organ.

"I was just remembering the case where Agent Gibbs borrowed, our body. And Agent Gibbs said….."

"Ahhhhhhhh. That... case. I remember it as if it was yesterday," Ducky replied, "I must ask Jethro next time he pops down for a chat."

"Ask me what Duks." as Gibbs entered the room.

"When you borrowed my body," the emphasis on body, "Well not my body, but the body that was in my cold cabinet."

"And you said, _"Reminds me of Gibraltar_," right?" Jethro replied, looking at Jimmy."I was, and as Dr Mallard knows, I am always fascinated by his adventures. His past cases. Of when you and he were in England, and in Europe. So may I enquire? What happened in Gibraltar?" Jimmy asked now smiling.

"Gib?" Gibbs replied, "British. That what you mean. Why we were there, and what were we doing with a borrowed body? May take some time." as Gibbs moved his head, as he did when going to say something informative.

"Well our friend isn't going anywhere, and my memory is not as good as it was. So Mr Palmer, put the kettle on. Jethro pull up a couple of chairs and we will begin." Dr Mallard replied.

With the tea duly brewed, or should that be infused, "Brewing up, such a waste of good tea leaves. Unless you really like tea the colour of Scottish peat streams, Earl Grey should be infused." Dr Mallard had advised Jimmy.

"Of course Dr Mallard." handing Jethro a cup and saucer. Gibbs just looked and smiled. How he hated this politeness.

"Now where will we begin Jethro?" Ducky enquired of Gibbs.

"Your story Duks, your call." he replied.

As Dr Mallard sipped his tea, he thought back to the year of 2002.…

"Naval station Rota, Spain. There was a NATO exercise involving some 40,000 personnel, from all the NATO countries. The manoeuvres were meant to practice securing the strategic Strait of Gibraltar, which of course is British. Jethro, Agent Gibbs and Stan Burley, were duly dispatched as Agents Afloat."

"Oh I didn't know you had been one of those, Agent Gibbs." Jimmy said staring in awe at Gibbs.

"Long time ago, and Stan liked it so much, he actually decided that was where his vocation was." Gibbs added.

"Quite," Ducky continued, "With 40,000 personnel, I was asked if I would like to go too, as I have duel nationality."

"So what happened?" Jimmy asked.

"Be patient Mr Palmer. More tea Jethro?" Ducky asked, Gibbs shook his head. " Well there was an altercation while we were in the Med, and three people died. One American sailor, a British Marine and one of the French sailors with…."

"The bobbly hat…I love the French naval uniform." Jimmy oozed.

Gibbs just looked and smiled.

"As I was saying," giving Jimmy a stare, "The French sailor was female. There had been a Ménage à trios. The nearest port at the time was Gibraltar, so we took the bodies there. That way, it was easier to repatriate. Trouble was we had to take the French one back to Marseilles."

"So I left Stan with the paper work, and we flew over to the field office there." Gibbs now added.

"Yes, and there you met a very naïve, junior NCIS agent by the name of Jennifer Shepard." Ducky added.

"The Director?" Jimmy spluttered.

"The very same." Jethro replied smiling.

"But the bodies?" Jimmy reminded everyone.

"Oh yes the bodies," Dr Mallard continued, "They were duly inspected and the death certificates issued. The paper-work, was issued and the bodies dispatched.

"We accompanied the French one to Marseilles.…. plane out of Gib. The American body went to Rota, and the British one to Brize Norton." Jethro replied.

"But the body, Doctor." Jimmy enquired getting jumpy.

"Ah yes, the body." Dr Mallard recalled.

"Did you borrow it?" Jimmy asked impatiently.

"Well…we didn't quite borrow it…we were returning it." Ducky answered, looking at Gibbs for help.

"What Dr Mallard is trying to explain is…we were taking the body to its local funeral parlour a few kilometres from Marseilles. But we were given the wrong body bag."

"We trying to get the body back to the French base, I was accused of theft," Dr Mallard replied.

"The body wan't driving?" Jimmy asked in a very shocked voice.

"No, not so much driving as it was, in the boot." Duks replied.

"The boot?" Jimmy questioned.

"What we would call the trunk." Gibbs answered.

"Well it was in a trunk, but the trunk wouldn't fit into the boot. So we took the body out the trunk and placed it in the boot…..trunk. And then we got stopped by the Gendarmerie." Ducky said.

"Duks you were driving on the wrong side of the road. And you had had, a bottle of wine." Gibbs replied.

"I was on the right side, for Britain, but the wrong for France." Ducky answered in his defence.

"I don't understand Dr Mallard?" Jimmy questioned.

"In Britain they drive on the left. Goes back to the days of yore, when jousting and sword fights on horseback ensued. Most people are right handed." Duks now added,

"But that would be why I pushed the French Policeman off the cliff, he was getting too pushy and wanted to issue a ticket." Ducky added laughing.

"You did what Dr Mallard?" a shocked Jimmy questioned.

"Duks, there was a lake below remember, and he did survive." Gibbs now butted in reminding Ducks, but he was smiling.

"True, but they still issued a warrant for my arrest. But, Jethro and I managed to keep one step ahead. Eventually escaping in a small yacht across the English Channel."

"Wow, you and Agent Gibbs were fugitives?"

"All three of us were, Jimmy. It was Jenny who commandeered the boat." Jethro replied.

"The Director stole a boat. Wow." now seeing the Director in a new light.

"But she did get our charges dropped." Jethro reminded Ducks.

"Well she should have, she was Director." Mr Palmer added.

"Not in 2002 Jimmy, she was still an up and coming field agent." Gibbs answered.

"Which of course, Agent Gibbs here, took under his wing. Didn't you Jethro. Taught her everything she would need to know, to become Director." Ducky replied looking at Jimmy.

"But the body, Agent Gibbs, Dr Mallard?" looking at the two men, " What happened to the body?" Jimmy shouted.

"I have no idea Jimmy. We made our escape back up to Gibraltar. We left Jenny to sort out the tangle. It gave her the…well how do we put it…..balls to get where she is today." Gibbs replied.

"Yes, all we know is that we were followed, to Paris, by the Police. We took refuge in the American Embassy, but being British I had to return to England. That was when she stole the boat. It wasn't until we were on British soil she told us…well me, that the charges had been dropped."

"But then Jen, sorry the Director, was up for theft. Took NCIS a while to sort things out. Think that's the reason she doesn't like the French too much." Gibbs now replied.

"So you see Mr Palmer, it wasn't that exciting." Ducky replied, now standing and taking the cup from Gibbs, "But I think we should return to work now, don't you Mr Palmer?" as the cell of Gibbs rang,

"Yeh…..Gibbs…ok DiNozzo. Got to go Ducks, we got us a dead Petty Officer."

"Oh, dear no peace for the living I suppose. Better get the gear together Mr Palmer." Dr Mallard replied as he watched Gibbs walk out the door.


End file.
